The present invention relates generally to hinge assemblies for hinged or pivotally interconnected members, and more particularly to such hinge assemblies especially adapted for pivotally interconnecting a sun visor with the interior of a vehicle. Hinge assemblies according to the present invention are also applicable for pivotally mounting other vehicle accessories, such as vanity doors, storage compartment doors, or other accessories or accessory covers. The various embodiments of the hinge assembly according to the present invention can also be employed for various non-vehicular uses, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.
The typical vehicle includes a wide variety of hinged or pivotally mounted vehicle accessories or accessory covers in the interior, luggage storage areas, or engine compartment. In the past, however, many hinge assemblies for such vehicular applications, as well as for various non-vehicular applications, either have not been sufficiently durable or have been expensive to produce and install. Furthermore, many of such prior hinge assemblies have been found to be inordinately bulky, unsightly, or ill-fitting, all of which detract from the user's perception of quality with regard to the vehicle or other device in which such hinge assemblies are included.
In addition to the above disadvantages, many of the prior hinge assemblies have not provided the user with a wide variety of relatively rotated or pivoted positions in which the hinged members can be held and maintained, especially after extended use and wear of the hinge components. The need has therefore arisen for a hinge assembly of the type described above, which is simple and inexpensive to produce, assemble and install, that is highly durable, and that is capable of maintaining the hinged members in a wide variety of relative rotational or pivotal orientations.
According to the present invention, a hinge assembly according to the present invention is adapted for pivotally interconnecting a first member, such as a vehicle interior, with a second member, such as a sun visor or other vehicle accessory or accessory cover. The hinge assembly according to the present invention, includes an elongated rod member that is interconnected with the first member and longitudinally received within a generally hollow elongated sleeve member interconnected with the second member. The rod member is relatively rotatable within the sleeve member, and the hinge assembly includes a resilient biasing member within the sleeve member for resiliently biasing the rod member laterally against the interior of the sleeve member. Such resilient biasing force provides for a frictional relative rotational engagement between the rod member and the sleeve member. The resilient biasing member, which is preferably a longitudinally-extending leaf-type spring, is restrained from relative rotational movement within the sleeve member.
The preferred leaf spring of the hinge assembly according to the present invention includes at least one generally laterally-protruding discontinuity disposed along its length. Such discontinuity, which is preferably V-shaped in its longitudinal cross-section, is generally laterally and resiliently compressed between the rod member and the sleeve member interior surface in order to provide the above-mentioned biasing force and frictional relative rotational engagement between the rod member and the interior surface of the sleeve member. Preferably a number of such discontinuities engage a corresponding number of recessed flat portions of the rod member.
Because the spring discontinuities are resiliently compressed between the rod member and the interior surface of the sleeve member to a lesser degree when the discontinuities engage the recessed flat rod portions than when they engage non-recessed portions of the rod member, the resilient mutual engagement of the discontinuities with the flat rod portions results in a detent at a predetermined orientation in the relative rotation of the rod member in the sleeve member. Furthermore, the movable hinged component, such as the sun visor in one preferred application of the present invention, is resiliently urged and substantially self-propelled into the above-mentioned predetermined relative rotational orientation whenever the hinged components are moved to a second predetermined relative rotational orientation in close proximity with the first predetermined relative rotational orientation mentioned above.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the detent and self-propelling effects discussed above are further enhanced by the provision of at least one generally flat sleeve portion on the interior surface of the sleeve member. Such flat sleeve portion is generally aligned longitudinally with still another generally flat and recessed rod portion disposed for engagement with the flat sleeve portion when the rod member is in the first predetermined relative rotational orientation in the sleeve member. Such flat sleeve portion is preferably defined by one or more generally flat tab members at a fixed location on the interior surface of the sleeve member.
It should be noted that in various embodiments of the present invention, the above-discussed flat rod portions can be provided at a number of circumferentially or rotationally offset positions on the rod member in order to provide a corresponding number of detents and predetermined relative rotational orientations when engaging the spring discontinuities and flat sleeve portions.
Additional objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.